Intermediate A New Life Australia Worksheet 3: Social customs

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Intermediate A New Life Australia Worksheet 3: Social customs

Intermediate A New Life Australia Worksheet 3: Social customs

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IntermediateA New Life Australia

Worksheet 3: Social customs

Worksheet 3: Social customs

A.Look up the meanings of these words in your dictionary.

manners / politeness / habits / appropriateness
  1. Read each situation below and decide:

What would be normal in your country?

What would be normal in Australia?

Circle what you personally consider correct.

Discuss your ideas with your tutor.

  1. A person meets a group of people he/she has met before, but doesn’t know very well. They:
  1. shake hands
  2. greet each other verbally (with words)
  3. embrace each other
  4. kiss each other
  5. bow slightly to each other.
  1. A teacher or host(ess) uses his/her first name and surname when introducing himself/herself to a new student or guest. In reply, the student or guest uses:
  1. ‘Sir’, ‘Madam’ or ‘Miss’ with no name
  2. ‘Mr’, ‘Mrs’ or ‘Miss’ plus surname
  3. ‘Mr’, ‘Mrs’, ‘Miss’ or ‘Ms’ plus first name
  4. the person’s first name only
  5. nothing.
  1. Two men are walking along the street holding hands. They are probably:
  1. friends
  2. relatives
  3. worried about falling over
  4. fooling around
  5. gay.
  1. You see a married friend of yours with another man/woman in a restaurant. You:
  1. immediately call the person’s wife/husband
  2. call the police
  3. speak to the ‘guilty’ person
  4. tell all your friends about the new scandal
  5. do nothing, remaining discreet.

There are some things we don’t normally discuss with people we don’t know very well. Many of these taboo topics are the same in every culture but there can be some differences.

If you were talking to a new neighbour would you ask the questions below?

B.Is it polite to ask these questions in your country and is it polite to ask in Australia?

In your country / In Australia
Yes / No / Yes / No
  1. Are you married?

  1. How old is your son?

  1. How old are you?

  1. Do you go to church?

  1. Who did you vote for in the last election?

  1. Can you recommend a school for my children?

  1. Can you recommend a doctor in this area?

  1. How much rent do you pay for your flat?

  1. What are you doing tonight?

  1. How much money do you earn?

  1. Did you watch the soccer last night?

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